Electronic assemblies made up of multiple layers of electronic components in a horizontal or vertical stacked relationship with one another can result in relatively large differences in the locations of electrical contacts from one layer to another layer due to tolerance stacking issues. Specialized flexible interconnects that compensate for such differences are often utilized to interconnect the electrical contacts of components in one layer with the electrical contacts of components in an adjacent layer. Such specialized flexible interconnects can be relatively expensive, and often require relatively complicated and time-consuming assembly techniques, such as soldering minute electrical contacts to interconnect the components in the assembly.
Certain types of technologies, such as co-fired ceramic electronic components that comprise multiple ceramic layers, are inherently difficult to manufacture to precise tolerances. Electrical contacts on a face of each ceramic component may be at slightly different locations with respect to the edge of the ceramic components simply due to the manner in which ceramic components are manufactured, and thus, even though the ceramic components may be reliably placed in predetermined locations on a mounting surface, the precise location of the electrical contacts of such ceramic components may differ from component to component.
Tolerance stacking issues are exacerbated where a first layer in an electronic assembly is made up of multiple independent electronic components, and a second adjacent layer is a single unit that interconnects at multiple different locations with the multiple independent electronic components of the first layer. Deviation of any one of the independent electronic components in the first layer from a precise predetermined location can result in difficulties with lining up the electrical contacts of the two different layers.